The crew at Royston fire station has given the Crow an insight into one of their busiest weekends, which took place this month.

When crew commander Steve Greaves took charge for the Thursday shift, things were running “nice and smoothly as you expect.”

He said: “Routines were being done and the usual day-to-day bits go without any hiccups.”

The bells go down for the first time around 4pm. A routine call to a person shut in a lift – one person was released by the service, job done.

Then later that day the crew get called just before 8pm to a small vehicle fire across the county border in Guilden Morden.

The next morning Steve’s crew gets two back to back calls to Blackett Ord Court in Royston for alarms actuating – both before 6am.

At 9.30am they have duty crew training and testing new equipment, which is to be carried on the appliance

At 10.40am they are called to put out a small vehicle fire on the A505 between Royston and Baldock, and are joined by a colleagues from the Baldock and Letchworth fire station for the job.

After the operation is over, crews return to station to station to finish routines.

On Saturday, watch commander Rachael Broom takes charge, and there’s the usual Saturday routines and station tests/training

At 11.16am it’s back over to South Cambs, this time to Steeple Morden where an electrical junction box is smoking.

At 4.55pm the crew attends a small vehicle fire in Therfield’s Sandon lane, en route it is confirmed that there’s a building on fire as well.

On arrival WC Broom orders two more appliances making a total of four on scene – from Royston, Buntingford, Stevenage and Baldock & Letchworth.

Crews extinguish the two cars on fire on the drive and the house using Royston’s crew commander Steve Greaves and firefighter Perry Johnson in Breathing Apparatus with high pressure Hose reels. They return to station and end the shift around 8.30pm.

Just before 11pm, the Royston crew is called to Kneesworth House Hospital for alarms actuating.

At 1am on Sunday, there’s a lightning strike on a property in Anstey – and on arrival the crew find the family of six are all out and safe.

However the roof is well alight. seven pumping appliances and an aerial platform from Stevenage battle through the night to save the house and the neighbouring properties “with great success”. Crews get back to station at 5.30am.

At just after 1.40pm, Royston are called to a building fire along with crews from Buntingford and Baldock & Letchworth. Buntingford arrives first and deal with a small fire in an oven, Royston are not required but quickly get directed to Anstey to re-inspect the property from the previous fire and damp down to ensure that no further re-ignition can take place.

At 3.10pm, while the Royston crew were heading back to their Baldock Street base, they receive another call – this time to Ashwell where a lithium battery has been left on charge and has caught fire on the side in an out building filling the house with acrid smoke.

The battery was removed outside and the property was ventilated by fire crews.

And finally, at about 11.30pm, just to finish off the weekend, The crew is called for the 13th time, to a bin fire on Royston’s Studlands Rise. Items had been needlessly taken from the bin and set alight on the verge side. Crews use a high-pressure hose reel to extinguish.

Watch commander Steve Greaves said: “All in all a very busy weekend for our local fire crews. Unusual but not uncommon.”